50% Off Sale Begins Sunday

Beginning this Sunday through February 28, we will be having our annual Winter Print Sale. The sale is for 50% Off our regular reprint prices. Check back through March for different sales on some of our specialty products.

Call the studio at 585-393-9242 to receive your discount. Our online proofing service will not discount the order and will charge your card the full amount.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

When I met with Ron and Jennifer last month to go over details of their February 19 wedding at Belhurst Castle, what she wanted most were the scenic snow photos that make winter weddings so magical. With this past weeks thaw it seemed like we would have been better off planning a bachelor party with mud wrestling. Jennifer must have slept with her pajamas on inside out and a wooden spoon under her pillow like a kid wishing for a snow day from school. She got her wish.

I woke to a fresh coating of snow along with 50 mph wind gusts. This was hardly the fairy tale winter weather I was hoping for, but snow is better than mud. It took over an hour to make the 25 minute drive to Belhurst. It was snowing harder than it had all season with whiteout conditions making driving treacherous. Nevertheless, we arrived in one piece and believe it or not, a few minutes early.

Things ran a little behind with the weather to allow for guests who may have been held up. The ceremony was held at the Zion Church across the road from Belhurst. After the emotional and humorous ceremony, we were treated to a herd of about 10 deer walking by right outside the church windows.

Once back at Belhurst, we did some outdoor snow photos, although the wind was a factor in limiting the amount of time we had out there. We still ended up with some really cool shots.

In total we probably ended up with about six inches of snow and now we are under a Winter Storm Warning for tomorrow with another half a foot or more expected. Jennifer certainly got her wish and than some.

Priceless

Sarah had a hockey game yesterday in Amherst just outside of Buffalo. Since the Islanders were playing the Sabres in an afternoon game the next day, we decided to stay in Buffalo for the weekend and get tickets. I tried out Stub Hub for the first time and it was awesome. I was able to get four tickets relatively cheaply for an NHL game. They were nose bleed seats 1 row from the top. The view was great if you don't mind looking down at the game with the feeling that your perched on a window ledge of a 10 story building. I cheered from my seat because if I stood up to cheer I may have ended up 30 rows further down in a heap with my legs dangling over my head.

 I've been an Islander fan my whole life. We used to watch the Islanders from my home in Jericho on Long Island on WHT. Our neighborhood had underground wires so for years we couldn't get cable tv. WHT was our saviour with premium tv delivered over the airwaves via a special antenna on the roof. There was a special box on top of our tv that would receive the signal. It also had it's own speaker since the sound would not transmit to the tv. We used to record the games and movies with our original VCR which was the size of a Volkswagon. We would have to plug in a microphone to the VCR and place it next to the WHT box to record the sound. We would have to put a sign on the door leading to the basement where the box was that we were recording a movie so no one would make noise coming down stairs. Inevitably, every movie we had included whispering voices and commentary like Mystery Science Theater. The recorded Islander games came complete with cheers from home. I have reorded Stanley Cup games from 1980-1983 when the Islanders won four cups in a  row. It was a great time to be an Islander fan watching greats like Billy Smith, Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier, Bobby Nystrom and more. It was the dream team of the 80s.

We got to the game early so we could watch the teams warm up. Cade, wanting to be like his dad, is also an Islander fan. He has several Islander jerseys and watches them on tv with me. We root for the Sabres as well unless they are playing the Islanders. Today was different though. Cade became a true Islander fan today on his own. We went down to the tunnel where the players enter the ice and he reached his hand over to high five the team as they came out on to the ice. Every player high fived him, "even the goalies" he grinned from ear to ear. We watched the warm ups and as each player left the ice, he got another high five. As Islander defenseman Andrew MacDonald left the ice, he picked up a puck and handed it to Cade and gave him knuckles. Cade turned to me with the biggest smile I've ever seen. I don't think his feet were touching the ground. As we made the trek back up to our seats in the clouds, the smile never disappeared. "I can't stop tingling," he said. He's an Islander fan for life.

Islander/Sabre tickets, $167.

Islander jersey, $59

Parking $8

Seeing my kids smile so hard it hurts their cheeks, priceless.

Fleece Fundraiser

We're doing a fundraiser for the Canandaigua Knights youth hockey organization with our custom designed fleece blankets. We're donating 10% back to the Knights for every blanket session we do. We started out with player blankets and have now branched out to team blankets. Now parents can cheer on their player or team in style while keeping warm. Here are some of the designs we've done so far.

Sound Bites

Early in January, before my shoulder decided to dislocate itself, I was playing goal in a hockey game with a group of guys I don't normally play with. It was a casual game so someone decided to put on music over the rinks speaker system. The music was not my taste at all, but the worse part was the volume. It was so loud I couldn't communicate with my teammates effectively. I didn't realize until then how much I relied on sound when I play goal, not just to communicate, but to react to the development of the play. I realized that I used sound much like a fish uses vibration to find prey, by listening to sound of the skates and sticks on the ice or the sound of their movement in my blind spot. With the volume of the music, I felt I was at a tremendous disadvantage.

The Rochester area has a large population of hearing impaired individuals. Even though the music was loud and I could hear more than I wanted to, it almost had the same effect of being hearing impaired by removing my ability to use that sense during the game. Even though it was only for a short period of time, I found myself adapting to make up for that loss.

I started thinking about other areas of my life that relied more on sound then I realized. The first thing that came to mind, which was no surprise, was how much I used sound while I am driving. Listening for other things in my surroundings while driving, such as other cars or emergency vehicles is a given. I'm referring more to the things you don't notice you're listening to like changes in road conditions by the sound of the tires or my shift points based on engine noise. Last summer, I accelerated from a light next to a truck with my windows open. My shift points were way off because I couldn't hear my engine.

Photography is no doubt seen as a visual medium. I began to wonder how much of a role sound played while I'm photographing. Much like playing goal, photographing in a fast paced environment such as sporting events makes use of all your senses, especially sound. But what about something a little less intense like a wedding? I'm going to be more aware of it now to see how much I use it other than to avoid being trampled on the dance floor by a long lost aunt who had one too many cocktails at the open bar.

Well Wed

The latest issue of WellWed New York magazine is out. It is one the best magazines out for weddings across Upstate New York and is also the nicest out of any wedding magazine across the country. As an advertiser, they are always checking in with me to see how things are going. They just sent me a box of the latest issue so if you want one stop by the studio.

Serena and Jeremy

Little Cherubs

The Wedding Affair

This Saturday, Well Wed Magazine will be putting on an awesome bridal show at the Memorial Art Gallery. I have two free tickets for anyone interested in going. Here is some more information on the event.

Unveiling the Finger Lakes' Finest

{Come one, Come all} The carnival-themed New York Wedding Affair invites you to step right up, take a chance, and plan the wedding of your dreams.

Planning a New York State wedding soirée? Join us for the New York Wedding Affair! At this year’s event, vintage carnival games will set the tone for a fun and inspiring showcase of inventive décor and complimentary, fair-worthy fare — including candied apples, cupcakes, and, of course, cotton candy. Even better, a silent auction of fabulous wedding-related gift certificates and other items will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation, and each lucky bride-to-be will receive a luxury gift bag containing over $100 worth of goodies.

Attendees will have the chance to mingle with the some of the best wedding professionals in the region before heading into the spa room to enjoy luxurious hand and foot treatments, hair and makeup consultations, and chair massages. There will be educational seminars on everything from wine and menu pairing to modern wedding etiquette, and the evening will conclude with an amazing fashion show of stunning bridal couture!

Seeking wedding inspiration? Attend the 2011 New York Wedding Affair to meet with the region’s best industry professionals, attend great seminars, and more. Register early, as tickets do sell out!

For more information visit their website at
http://www.aweddingaffair.com/



98

Every year, my kids and I sit around the Hanukkah candles on the eighth night and watch the candles on four menorahs burn down. At first the room is glowing from the light of 36 candles. Before too long, one by one the candles flicker and go out, leaving a plume of smoke that rises in to the air. There is always one candle that just seems to hang on though, even after all the wax is gone and the wick is nothing but ash. The faint glow of the blue flame hangs on for sometimes five or ten minutes. Inevitably though, the holiday ends with one last plume of smoke rising in to the air.

Last October, I flew down to Florida to visit my Grandfather and Grandmother. I knew it was possibly the last time I would see him since his 98 year old body was showing the signs of it's age. At 2:05 this morning, my Grandfather's faint glow went out sending his soul up to heaven. His life was very much like that last candle. Living to 98 years old, he has seen all of his friends flicker and go out, leaving him as the lone candle. But this story has a different ending, for what looked like a lone candle was actually two intertwined, the other being my Grandmother. Together, they had the strength to burn longer and brighter. They would have celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary this year.

At 95 years old, my Grandmother will be on her own for the first time in her life. She is very strong though and has the love and support of literally dozens of family members. There are no regrets. My Grandfather left this world with the tank empty and the tires smoking. He lived life completely.

My Grandfather was a tinkerer. He loved to take things apart. He made a career of it with his own vacuum repair shop. I remember when I was nine or ten years old, I was riding as a passenger on a banana seat bicycle. It's usually a scenario to end up on America's Funniest Home Videos. I ended up somehow with my ankle wedged between the frame of the bike and the kick stand. Within minutes, my Grandfather was on the scene with a tool box dismantling the bike to set me free. I almost imagine the story with him wearing a cape to come to my rescue. Staying true to form during his last few days in the hospital, he had the nurses in a fit when he dismantled his heart monitor. I guess he literally wanted to see what made it tick.

Ellen and I will fly down to Florida tomorrow. Bringing family together is what he liked to do best and even in death he is still doing it. I'm sure he is looking down from heaven and smiling at the legacy he left behind.